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USS Kittiwake is an Amazing Dive Site

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Snorkelers swarm on one of the Cayman Islands’ premier underwater attractions, the USS Kittiwake, in a rare bird’s-eye view of the famous shipwreck, captured by Aerial Innovations.

The company, which specializes in aerial photography and cinematography, shot the image of tourists snorkeling on the wreck with Red Sail Sports on a typical afternoon at the popular site.

Perry Levy, president of Aerial Innovations, said, “We are always trying to showcase Cayman’s landscapes and attractions from what we believe to be perspectives never seen before.

Kittiwake was decommissioned on 30 September 1994 and struck from the Naval Vessel Register on the same day. Her title was transferred in November 2008 for an undisclosed amount to the government of the Cayman Islands for the purpose of using Kittiwake to form a new artificial reef. Originally intended to be sunk in June 2009, she was finally sunk off Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman, on 5 January 2011 in Marine Park.

A 2011 episode of the documentary television series Monster Moves covered moving and sinking the ship. Divers are not allowed to touch or take anything from the dive site. At its most shallow, the wreck of Kittiwake is 15 feet (4.6 meters) below the surface of the water and at its deepest, 64 feet (19.5 meters) below the surface.

Rhonda Leavitt

Rhonda Leavitt is co-owner of Grand Cayman Villas & Condos. She has been enjoying the beauty and fun of Grand Cayman for the last twenty years through family vacations with her four (now grown) children and her husband, Jim. She wants to share her knowledge of the island’s best with you!